Rani Deshpande

Senior Financial Sector Specialist

Rani Deshpande’s work with CGAP has focused on meaningful financial inclusion for youth and women, financial services for gig platform workers, and earlier in her career, pro-poor savings and money transfer services. Her consulting work spans applied research and analysis to inform the design of financial services and livelihoods programs for underserved populations, as well as policies conducive to their success.

Rani also has extensive experience in program management, serving as the Director of Save the Children’s $42M portfolio youth and off-farm livelihoods development work in over a dozen countries. Prior to that, she led YouthSave, an initiative that assisted over 150,000 teens to open tailored savings accounts and save over $1.2M. She has also served as a strategy consultant to US nonprofits at The Bridgespan Group, and provided direct technical assistance to MSMEs in India and West Africa.

Rani earned her undergraduate degree from Stanford University and a dual Master’s degree in International Affairs and Business from Columbia University. She is fluent in French and Marathi and speaks intermediate Spanish and basic Hindi.

By Rani Deshpande

Blog

What Is “Appropriate” Financial Inclusion for Young Women?

Young women in low-income countries face major life changes in early adulthood. Tailored financial inclusion—through segmented products, accessible delivery, financial literacy, and partnerships—supports their transitions.
Research

Young Women's Financial Inclusion: What Works

This paper summarizes two decades of insights to help practitioners unlock the social and business case for young women’s financial inclusion. It outlines tailored strategies for product design, delivery, financial capability, and social intermediation to meet the needs of this diverse and vital client group.
Blog

Financially Including Young Women: Gains for a Generation

The final blog in our series with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation spotlights what CGAP and BMGF have learned about the dynamics of young women’s financial exclusion, and new initiatives to tackle the gender gap at its source in young adulthood.
Blog

Decoding Financial Inclusion Gaps Between Young Men and Women

A recent CGAP study revealed a gender gap in financial service adoption among youth in low-income countries. Here, we analyze Findex 2021 data to better understand the factors driving these disparities.
Research

The Impact of Financial Inclusion on Young Women’s Well-being: A Survey of Evidence and Recommendations for Practitioners

Young women face many gender-based barriers as they navigate major life transitions, with life-long effects. A new CGAP Working Paper finds that in addition to improving financial skills and savings levels, financial inclusion initiatives may also improve health and livelihood outcomes when combined with other interventions.